Body

WASHINGTON, D.C. - People who eat meat frequently, especially meat that is well done or cooked at high temperatures, may have a higher chance of developing bladder cancer, according to a large study at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010. This risk appears to increase in people with certain genetic variants.

A blood test for certain forms of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and measurement of DNA content in biopsy tissue accurately predict which men with potentially non-lethal prostate cancers may eventually need treatment, say Johns Hopkins scientists.

Many companies grow by extending their brands into new types of products. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examines why some of those new products succeed and others fail.

When products don't easily fit into our goals, we experience conflict. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, conflicted consumers are easily swayed by unwanted influences.

Consumers who choose between two good product options build a "positivity bubble" to justify their choices. But according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, that bubble is easy to burst.

"From routine cereal-aisle shopping to expensive big-ticket purchases, consumers are often free to choose among many similarly attractive options," write authors Ab Litt and Zakary L. Tormala (Stanford University). "In these contexts, it can be difficult to resolve one's preferences to arrive at a purchasing decision."

Chapel Hill, NC – Rho proteins have been described as "molecular switches" and play a role in cell migration, cell proliferation, cell death, gene expression, and multiple other common cellular functions.

Understanding the actions of Rho proteins is important to illuminating cellular mechanisms related to cancer, which is fundamentally a disease of cell misbehavior. When cells multiply too rapidly, multiply and migrate into inappropriate places in the body, do not die after their natural lifespan or create networks of blood vessels where they should not, cancer results.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A blood test used to determine the level of inflammation in the body may offer some help in assessing colon cancer risk, according to results of a study to be presented by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's Gong Yang, M.D., MPH, at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Yang and colleagues show that levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation, are increased in women with colon cancer.

New Rochelle, NY, April 19, 2010—Laboratory research and clinical studies are beginning to demonstrate that DNA vaccines can be as effective as traditional vaccines, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). A number of factors are driving the growth of the field, especially new approaches to electroporation, vaccine formulation, and vector design, according to the April 15 issue of GEN (http://www.genengnews.com/articles/chitem.aspx?aid=3247).

New research provides crucial insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of Parkinson's disease (PD), a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. The study appears in the April 19 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org).

There are striking differences in the cardiovascular risk profiles of four ethnic groups — white, Chinese, South Asian and black — living in Ontario, Canada, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj091676.pdf.

New immigrants, especially women and those of South Asian or African descent, have a higher risk of diabetes compared with long-term residents of Ontario, found a research study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj091551.pdf.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pathology have discovered a set of four biomarkers that will help predict which patients are more likely to develop aggressive colorectal cancer and which are not. The findings also shed light on the genetics that result in worse colorectal cancer-treatment outcomes for African-Americans, compared with Caucasians, the researchers said.

Researchers at the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg have discovered a brand new species of bacterium found only in the Gullmarsfjord north of Gothenburg. The bacterium has been named Endoxenoturbella lovénii to honour the newly founded marine research center.

"Two lung cancer tumors might appear identical under a microscope and have the same staging, but they behave differently," said Waun Ki Hong, M.D., head of M.D. Anderson's Division of Cancer Medicine and principal investigator on the BATTLE grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. "The name of the game now is to treat based on the molecular defects in the tumor."

BATTLE identifies potential biomarkers

TORONTO, ON -- Inuit preschoolers in Nunavut are as tall as their U.S. counterparts but they're also heavier, according to a new study published in the online edition of the International Journal of Circumpolar Health.

This represents a remarkable change from previous work showing Inuit infants began life with equivalent birth lengths, but were falling behind by the time they were six months old.